The city has approved funding for four applicants to the Homeowner Helper Program. The recipients’ houses require fixes ranging from a fresh coat of paint to a new foundation.
Browsing: Housing
RARA officials say they saw a record number of residents needing help with overdue rent and utility bills in January. The organization says it can only afford to provide rent assistance to a household once a year.
City Council members say the bills would help reduce housing problems, but that Lexington knows itself better than the legislators.
The Rocks to Roofs initiative Community members from Lexington, Buena Vista and the county are working together to address challenges in the housing market.
Early next year, city officials plan to begin working with the Lexington Economic Development Authority on finding a buyer.
“People really need to understand that homelessness can happen to any of us,” said Lydia Campbell. “The question is not, ‘What did you do to end up in homelessness?’ The question has to be, ‘What happened?’”
A plan to build 22 townhouses on a vacant lot in Buena Vista, the city’s largest housing development in years, awaits city council approval.
The Lexington Planning Commission has approved an ordinance allowing for a type of high-density housing. The city council is expected to take it up in two weeks. The ordinance aims to create clusters of single-family homes on small existing lots to provide more housing options.
Lexington could soon offer funds to help low- and fixed-income residents make home repairs. City council has already set $250,000 aside for the project. The program could also help elderly residents stay independent at home instead of moving to assisted living facilities.
Buena Vista’s median home values rose 60% since 2020. The city used to have one of the highest property tax rates in Virginia, but a recent cut brought Buena Vista below the state average.